Chronicles of Percee Riddle
by AKR
Summary: Post Hogwarts. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley have come a long way and are now the elite in the British wizarding forces; however it will may not be enough when new characters emerge. Read on for this multicrossover pact.
1. Chapter 1

It had been 12 years since the death of Dark lord Voldemort. Every year this same day was celebrated as the day that Harry Potter 'the boy who vanquished' got rid of Voldemort forever… Or 'HP day' for short. On this day all of Wizarding Britian was a holiday and people went out to feast and enjoy. The person in question Mr. Harry Potter, Head Auror of the British wizarding nation, however was too busy to enjoy the day, which was named after him. Being head auror sure had a thing about keeping him busy 'especially' the day when everyone else let their guards down.

12 years ago Harry had finished the mission for which he was born to. But unlike what most believed, Harry had not believed that his work was done. The world was a very large place and potential for more dark lords would always be there.

Harry had therefore joined a Magical University soon after completing Hogwarts. After 3 years of serious study with majors in Magical theory and Ancient curses and with a minor on History of Wizardry, Harry Potter had graduated with a top degree as Specialist and Master in Curse and Magic (SMCC, Hons).

With his degree in hand Harry had then used his considerable wealth to travel the world. But that had been after a year of teaching in Hogwarts in Defence against the Dark Arts. He had also been offered a more permanent position but he had refused. His purpose had been to spend more time with Albus' portrait. It is amazing what one could learn with an audience from one of the most powerful wizards in the world or rather his portrait in this case. Afterwards he. As planned set out on his long journey to tour and learn more. He had been to many places and wizarding cities and had learnt a lot in his adventures. It was in these journeys that Harry gained newer insights into Magic and its culture in different parts of the world. He had learnt a lot especially about some unique brands of magic such as Parsel Magic and Hand Magic. He had also become the owner of many rare and powerful artefacts in addition to being the master of the Deathly Hallows. This had made him a very formidable wizard.

In his travels Harry had had to fight many times for his survival esp when he encountered new and powerful dark magic practitioners. Many situations had required him to use the most unique of magics in order to remain alive. Each experience however made him even stronger than before. His last acquisition, before he returned to Britian however hadn't been an artefact but a living curse. Possessed with this curse, Harry finally, after 5 years had decided to return back to Britian as an accomplished wizard. He was then 26 years old and had started making a reputation for himself. Back in Britian he joined the auror force and quickly in the matter of 2 years, he had become the senior most field expert and got the position of Head Auror.

Ronald Weasley who had been Harry's friend or rather best mate in Hogwarts had instead continued his magical University education for 5 years after Hogwarts and had come out with top scores and President's honours in all his subjects which included – Magical theory, Art of Wizardry, Forensic Spells Expert , History of Magic, Science of Telekinetics, and Wizard Politics. He had done a lot of research in many fields including Non Wizarding Magic which by itself took an average of 6 years in the prestigious Queen's University of Sorcery. His teachers and associates found him to be a natural and an extremely voracious learner. Now this was most surprising , not that his teachers knew of course, but he had never shown such potential to learn before. But at the end of 5 years and at the age of 22 Ron had already acquired all his PhDs and got a job in the ministry of Magic as the foremost expert on Magics and Senior Unspeakable. He served directly under the Head Unspeakable. If there was an unsolvable case Ron would solve it in lets say…2 hours. He had been there when Harry returned 3 years later. It had been Ron who supervised Harry and it had been him who had maintained correspondence with Harry during his 'tour'. Currently both were 30 years old and senior professional in the ministry. Harry being the Head Auror served directly under Ron who was senior Magi expert and expert assistant to the Head Unspeakable.

Ever since the reign of Voldemort had ended many magic users had come out playing terror and trying to become the next dark lord. Harry and Ron before him, had played an immense role in stopping any of these power risings and had been honoured the Valiant award many times. Now Ron mostly did the non-field work while Harry did the field work. Harry directly reported to Ron. In the span of the last 4 years the crime rate had dropped drastically.

Ron's father Mr. Arthur Weasley had become the new Minister of Magic 2 years ago winning the polls by a clear 68 votes and had at once initiated several reforms meant to bring Britian out of the dark ages and into a new Renaissance. He had studied a lot about muggles and their technology and wished to put forward all effort to develop similar advances in magical society as well. At first sceptical, the senior ministry workers gradually warmed to the idea and new developments such as wizarding Tele, Portable handheld floo sets, crystal ball communicators, magic motors and the like have become very common. At first the efforts were expensive and only the absolutely rich could afford these latest devices. But Arthur was confident that like in the Muggle world after a few years every person of magical heritage will own a 'floo-bile'. Of course with this new advances came newer scopes for jobs and sponsors. New research methods and companies started developing new products based on new tech principles. Very soon commercialism erupted and people were flooding the markets trying to get the best deals and special network packages for their new hand sets. Then came a revolutionary idea to link wizarding network to the Muggle. This required some sophisticated spell work as well as power network platforms to be established in wizarding and muggle areas.

It was Dr. Arnoldzik, a 40-year-old muggle born wizard, who managed to develop the first software required to be able to convert magical fields into viable volt output. This revolutionised magical technology as this enabled magical technology to work in muggle surroundings and Muggle to work in wizarding ones. Secondly his equation solved one of the biggest hurdles for wizarding Britian- a suitable power source. Using the latent magic in any area and converting it to voltage outputs gave them an inexhaustible supply of power; Dr Arnoldzik for his contribution was given the Order of Merlin Ist class. Of course Britian still had a long way to go before all its new ideas could be wholly competent and viable.(There had also been many critics against the Arnoldzik equation and how it was detrimental to Magic but let's not go there now). But it was a start. Right now all Mr. Weasley, the minister of Magic thought about was an awesome muggle discovery – the cyber space, if only he could figure out how to access that damn internet.

Hermione in contrast to Ron and Harry had done her diploma in Wizarding Liasions and had also acquired a degree on advanced Charms and Transfiguration. She now acted as a Wizard- Muggle Liasion for the Ministry.

All the three friends were very busy in their lives. They sometimes floo-mobiled each other but that was mostly it. Harry and Ron would of course meet daily as they worked together.

Date- 18 September 2008 Location- New Wizarding Britian, Kat city, Muggle area.

A huge white van was racing the road at full speed. It was past midnight and there were surprisingly a lot of traffic. It was weekend the next day but as this Van pushed past, many lost their chance at a peaceful drive the next day as their car would have to effect repairs. Subtly chasing this Van was A unique bike. The bike was so designed that it appeared more like a double cone with a front and rear wheels. It had a sleek black design with red highlights and a t the back one could make out two legs holding onto the supports, probably the rider. However the riders upper half seemed to be covered by the front shell of the torpedo end of the bike as in a small chamber. Overall it looked like a missile on wheels. Within this specially designed bike was a lone occupant. Even though his upperhalf was covered by the armour shell of the bike, inside he could see everything via specially designed monitors. Every moment the rider of the bike would make a small turn in the never ending chase of the van. A cat and mouse game. And he was the cat.Those muggles can't run forever the occupant thought. It could have just apparated into the van but new policies ragrding muggles required him to chase them on his R-Bike. Besides it was more fun this way.

The driver of the van looked at his side mirror. He could make out a shape chasing them . He frowned – 'We're eing followed' he said to a black lady sitting behind him. There were three more people in the van- A man, a woman and a small girl who couldn't have been more than 10 years old.

The first woman muttered- 'I'm gonna shake I'm' and pulled out a sten shooter. She quickly covered her face with a cloth and opened the uphatch of the van and moved up. The bike registered this in its monitor- 'Detecting Muggle weapon- A sten shooter model 48. Ammo assessment- unclear. Threat assessment- minimal , possible defensive measures- magnet shielding, said the automated voice system in the R- bike. The occupant just smiled and directed the computer so. They were now entering a hih way lane and the traffic was a lot empty here. The woman in the van aimed the gun at the distorted object that was seemingly following them . 'Alien scum ' she shouted and shot- All the bullets reached its target but were dispelled to the sides of the bike unharmed, by the magnetic shielding. The woman noticed it was having no effect. If anything that thing was coming at them even closer . 'Can't this thing go any faster she shouted to the driver' 'Any faster? We are going at 150, that's the top speed'

She just shook her head and looked back at the road . That thing was getting too close for comfort.

The bike was almost there. It could easily put a burst of speed and reach speeds exceeding 500 but the chase was fun. Suddenly a red flash came over the monitor. The occupant of the bike frowned and touched the screen where the light was flashing. Immediately a visual image recognition scanned his face and the message came- 'This is team o-ninety one-. We are caught in a trabble. I repeat we are caught in a trabble. Requesting immediate back..' the transmission ended. He checked the stats. The transmission came fromKinestone, Riveris near Orchard, 10 miles from here. It was a hideout area and no muggles were seen at the place excpt those hired. The person who sent the transmission was – Tania Swain, One of the Aurors and leader of unit o-ninety one. Based on records they were supposed to apprehend a suspect for smuggling of Yriink- a goblin powder which was highly illegal. The aurors had long since benn tracking the gag. They had gotten a new lead just 2 days back and team o-ninety one was sent. But noew they were in a trabble which meant they gotten more than they could chew with no means of retreat. He sighed and his bike slowed down and turned back responding to his touch and thoughts. Then it suddenly accelerated at super speed towards Kinestone.

The driver of the van saw the thing turn around and vanish. 'Hey where did it go?'

'The woman had also seen it ' 'Its gone..good' she said th her self. They couldn't afford to lose their lead now. The device they had 'taken' was far too precious.

The lone rider of the bike was quickly approaching Kinestone. In his monitor more red flashes were coming. 'They are in a serious mess' he thought. 'Come on guys. Im coming..just five more minutes..'

Kinestone was actually a plain stretch of Dump. Along one end of this dump were huddled 7 aurors at one end behind a large metal trash grinder. Tania, the female and leader of the group was bleeding at the left shoulder. She was facing the other way and lying against the large trash box with her back using it as support. The bleeding on her shoulder was spreading quickly. Already her hand was too tired to move. They had come here thinking to find one guy but they were suddenly ambushed. Now they were cornered. She suddenly tilted her head as a vile looking spell sailed past. They certainly don't have any inhibitions she thought . Her teammates were desperately huddled together and occasionally throwing spells trying to hold those gangsters off. But they were outnumbered, outgunned and outmanoeuvred and they were slowly gaining ground. Soon they would be over whelmed. She prayed someone had heard their message. They couldn't escape because there were powerful anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards. Suddenly she thought- O even if someone from the ministry heard them they couldn't apparate anywhere near here. Man they were doomed . If they come the normal way it would take them atleast an hour to reach. She began hyperventilating. This was it .

The R-bike was on an overhead bridge. As it came close the fight below became apparent. The rider just drove the bike over the edge of the bridge and the bike came crashing down onto the garbage dump. Below everyone registered the new comer. A few gangster wizards wearing punk clothes gave a loud mocking cheer and fired its now fully charged energy bazooka at the crashed vehicle. A blue beam of laser shot out and hit the damaged R-bike. There was a spectacular explosion and the bike was on flames. At the side the Aurors looked horribly at what had happened. 'Twain cried ..oh no that bike belonged to..'

The punk gangsters started chhering and advancing forward shooting more spells. A few spells hit the flaming bike. Suddenly the front shell of the bike broke forward and a hand slowly emerged. The gangsters stopped in their tracks.

'Twain looked at the burnin mass and at the hand which was slowly emerging. Soon an upper torso and head emerged apparently unaffected by the flames. Hope surged into her. She could almost see the dumbfounded expression on the gangsters as well. She had heard rumours of the Head Auror but it would be the first time she would see him in action. These smugglers would not know what hit them.

His bike was ruined but as the flames started pouring in he slowly pushed his hand forward and pushed away the clasp of his bike's outer shell. As it fell of he slowly got out, The flames were dancing around him but his anti fir vest was doing its job pretty well. Besides no one has ever accused him of not handling flames well. He slowly got out and stood to his full height. Reaching 6'2 with emerald green style auror robes with an inner dark green dragon hide vest, he glared at the attackers in the distance. Slowly he moved out of the flames towards them. As he fully came out of the raging fire, his cloak bellowed behind him as his magical aura flared. He was still wearing his shades. Slowly he slipped them off his eyes allowing them to witness his burning green eyes. His jet black hair was long and reached his neck and was moving in the wind. At his side, behind a yellow trash box he saw team 0-ninety one looking at him in awe and respect. He looked back at the gang and slowly took out his golden wand and held his arms out at the sides. Slowly the wand began glowing bright.

The gangsters were looking at this new comer. How did that gut just come out of that flames . How did he survive the magic Bazooka X-60? Slowly they saw him walk out of the flames. He was looking at them and a few off them started gasping as they felt a severe pressure on their heads and the rest involuntarily pissed themselves. Suddenly he took his shades off. They saw his Green eyes and they new fear- Harry Potter, Head Auror. A few of them quickly turned and ran and the rest quickly took out their weapons or wands mostly and fired a volley of spells. Harry just gave a small flick of his wand and suddenly half the approaching spells just dissolved away into nothing while the rest slightly less deadly ones turned back and hit the gangsters. Immediately a few fell unconscious, a few erupted in severe boils while others collapsed on the tar as their legs twisted painfully under them. Harry waved his other hands at the general direction of the aurors and a protective bubble enclosed them. Harry closed his eyes and felt out with his magic – _two on the roof_. Another slash of his wand and the two snipers collapsed from the roofs in confusion. Harry then looked at some who were running away. He slowly twirled his wand in an arc. The flames behind him, which had been present flowed and moved with his wand. The more he rotated the more flames came to him until even his bike which had been flaming now stood cold. When Harry had gathered enough of the flames, he made a huge flaming lasso and shot it towards the running gangsters. Immediately they were caught in a powerful lasso, unable to move. Two however managed to escape and ran behind the buildings on the other side. Harry slowly turned around as the Aurors now moved out to tie up the incapacitated criminals. 'Twain came towards him and saluted with her good hand. Harry just nodded at her. Then he noticed her other hand. A spell later her hand was as good as ever. She flexed her hand and went to thank him. When suddenly Harry's hand shot out at lightning speed and moved in front o her face. Twain closed her eyes in reflex and opened them to see a blue glowing ball clutched tightly in Harry's palm. The flesh eating spell she recognised. And it had been aimed for her face!! But Harry…sorry Auror Potter had caught it with his bare hand!! Was that even possible? She looked as Harry's palm, which was holding the spell was no longer pink skin but bony fingers. The fingers crushed together and the spell died. Harry then turned his eyes towards the distance and jerked his hand back. All Twain heard was a scream in the distance. Harry then moved his wand and a glowing Patronus came out , It was a stag. Harry whispered something to it and it nodded and ran off to the diatance, its magical speed enabling it to cover large diateances with a message to the ministry. Harry then looked to the Aurors 'Stay here. More back up is coming' he ordered and then went to catch the last two. Twain watched as the Head Auror went away. She still remembered the skeleton palm. So the rumours were true. Harry Potter is indeed the ghost rider.

Harry was calmly moving forward across the buildings of piles of discarded material. However each of his steps brought him closer to his adversaries. He could hear their breaths and knew they couldn't escape with the anti-portkey field in place.

The two gang leaders had been running and were now catching their breaths behind a large metal foil.

'Shit he is going to catch us. What will we tell Darius?'

'What I don't know' shouted the other one

'Let's try and lose him'

The first one was catching his breath. Suddenly he spotted something near by. Yes it would do. He went forward and took hold of the BFG gun. It was half charged. Why was it discarded here? Anyway their luck. Good for one mega shot. Let's see how tough he is.

Harry Potter was following their sound. He felt their magical signature . Just a bit ahead. Suddenly the two came out from behind a foil. One cockily waved at him. The other had a huge gun on his shoulder aimed for him. Before Harry could move the energy erupted.

Harry saw the energy coming towards him. He moved his hand in front of his face in a cross. The energy hit him hard and he was pushed back in its power.

The ywo gangsters looked at him. 'Shish Kabab' they cried and gave a small victory dance as the energy died down. What they saw then made their eyes pop out. In front of them was a standing skeleton completely naked. Its body was in flames and it stood still. 'Man' said one of the gangsters as he moved closer. That was one strong gun. There is no skin left!!' 'Yeah . But look at his guts. He is still standing. It looks creepy. Just imagine how he took that head on and remained standing!!' 'Well its over now' said the other. Suddenly they heard a pop and turned back. The Harry Skeleton slowly straightened its neck and the flames covering its body grew even larger. It candidly looked at its own skeleton. The bones were there and so were the gaps between the ribs and other spaces. It used one of its fingers to tickle one of its joints. All the while the gangsters were looking at it in fear. Slowly Harrry Skeleton looked at them 'BOO'

'The gangsters cried out and tried to run but they stubled and fell. They looked back and saw that the Skeleton was walking –'It was walking!!' The flames grew to tidal volumes and its eyes grew red. Above the emergency fire sprinkler system became active and a shower started. The gangsters were drenched. Harry's flam died down and slowly bits of skin appeared in his body and slowly his entire body was soon covered in a new skin. He waved his hand and clothes appeared- His Auror uniform.

The gangster took in all of this from their positions on the floor. This was the boy who defeated the dark lord they thought. Now they had an idea why.

As the skin completely covered his face his eyes slowly appeared back and Harry completely now looked at them – The two raised their arms the action drenching them more.

'Please we surrender. We'll tell you everything. Take us to Azkaban. But please don't kill us!!' they begged.


	2. Chapter 2

In San Francisco, a 15-year-old boy was awoken from a deep sleep by his alarm ringing. His arm slowly got out from under the sheets and even more slowly tapped the clock shut. Eyelids groggily opened to reveal clear blue eyes.

"Had a good sleep?" asked another voice, a female voice from across the door way.

The boy turned towards the sound and slowly woke up from bed. He clumsily got up from his sleep revealing a naked well-built chest. He rubbed his eyes twice and looked at the time. It was 6 in the morning. His new school wouldn't start for another 2 hours. He removed his white headband revealing jet-black hair with occasional brown streaks. He stretched his arms back and finally looked at his mother properly. She was wide awake.

"Didn't you get any sleep?" asked his modulated but firm voice with a touch of concern as well as a touch of authority meaning he wouldn't accept anything but the truth.

"I chose not to. It is peaceful to see my son sleeping quietly after a long time" replied his mother gently.

The boy rubbed his eyes once more and looked at his mother while at the same time reflecting on their lives. It was true that they didn't get sleep much. It was difficult when a lot rested on their shoulders. Running from city to city and time to time, trying to escape 'them' all the time. Hopefully this time they would have lost their trackers and that meant he could concentrate on his current life for a change.

"You are right mom. No nightmares

"But that doesn't excuse you from not sleeping. You also need to rest" he added sternly.

His mother gave him a smile

"Percee, You worry too much. Its your first day of school…well your new school at least. Shouldn't you be worrying about making friends and homework? I'll be all right. It wouldn't be the first time I pulled an all-nighter, though a little rest would be welcome" she replied softly but her voice carried forward with hidden strength.

Percee smiled back. It was rare that they could smile without worrying about every step they make. Knowing how the future was going to turn out did that to you. They had been on the run for 15 years. Ever since he hadn't even been born 'they' had come, from the future, trying to kill his mother, making sure he never got to exist, so that he will never stop them in return in the future. But they had been unsuccessful. His father had given his life to protect him and ever since they had been on the run. His real name was Percee Riddle. His father was Tom Marvolo Riddle. But now he had chosen a new identity. He adopted an alias – Percee Wrent. A pretty ordinary muggle teenager. Not that he could do much with a wand anyway. He had never got the chance to learn the ways of his Father's people. Though occasionally, he could see them or sense them. He could feel those strange vibrations.. that tingle of power that separated the wand users from normal muggles. It is how he avoided them. No one should know he existed. That was of paramount importance. He knew many things about the future but he didn't know who had betrayed them or would betray them, only that it had been or would be a magic user. His mother was a muggle, and even though she was one of the toughest muggles around, it still made him a half-blood.

Just the way he liked it.

With enough concentration he could mask the faint vibes of energy he sent out and that made it difficult for the trackers to locate him. Though they have grown wise to this strategy but it still afforded him an advantage if he was blind to their sensors.

Now he was going to join school again. They had recently moved into San Francisco with fake ids. Percee Wrent was going to attend the Jonas High School. A little posh but they could afford it. His father had taken care of that.

He looked at the time- 7 o clock. School would begin in another hour.

* * *

Harry Potter was currently looking through the files of the wizards who comprised the smuggling gang he rounded up this early morning. Idly he flicked his fingers and his magically sealed door unlocked and opened by itself just as a hand was going to knock on it.

"Come in Ron" he said still looking at the files.

Ron, senior unspeakable and assistant to the head of Dept. of Mysteries walked in. His Red hair stood out prominently and his hand was laced with thin jagged scars in the shape of a snake that laced through out his arm in an arborous pattern. His eyes were held behind thin rimmed glasses which did nothing to hide the awesome power behind them. His tall frame walked forward with a steady pace until he was right in front of Head Auror Harry Potter, probably the only one else in the ministry who could be in first name basis with Ronald Weasley. Even from across the room the magical energy from Ron person was palpable. However Harry seemed unconcerned about this display of strength. Ron casually sat across Harry until he finally put the file down and faced him.

"I think Auror Potter that you've made the headlines again. I believe congratulations are in order" started Ronald Weasley.

"And I think" replied back Harry with a hint of annoyance "That Junior Aurors should not have been sent on a t-class mission without consulting me first"

"Are you challenging my authority, Auror Potter" asked Ron calmly.

Harry looked like he wanted to say something. "Permission to speak freely sir"

"Granted always" answered Ron curtly

"They were this close to being wiped out Ron!!" exclaimed Harry pulling his thumb and index finger a mm apart for emphasis. " If I hadn't reached in time it would have been certain!!"

"I know that Harry but believe me when I say that I only sent them, out of lack of options. Our senior members were spread out thin across Britian and I did not have anyone else to Spare. Tania's team was the beat among the Junior leagues. It seemed the best option at the moment" he raised his hand to stall Harry's predictable outburst.

"I respect their lives Harry. I know they are your people. What you need to know is that they are mine too. I have seen them grow up into fine aurors just like you have. But sometimes I lack choices. If I hadn't pursued the lead lat night it would have dragged on the investigation for another five years atleast. And I am glad that you were there –on time- to protect them. Plus for all I knew we were tracking only one person. It was my mistake that I wasn't prepared for a such numbers. If I knew I would never had sent them on a suicide mission." Ron said this all in a single speech with the firmness and authority that his position demanded of him.

"I believe the team will make a full recovery in the next five days if St. Mungo's is to be believed, which I do. And I promise that I will make sure to run every mission stat to you from henceforth" he added

Harry looked at Ron and gave a deep sigh. "I'm sorry Ron. I just got angry. You should have been there. I was strong. I had to be for their sakes. But you should have seen their faces. Hiding behind a muggle recycle trash bin hoping that the spells do not touch them. They were scared for their lives. And the ring gang! They had advanced magic ballistics. Fifth level if the report goes right. It was a trap. Whoever our informant was knew it would have been a lost battle. We were set up!"

"I heard that there was a Big Force Gun" asked Ron questioningly

"Yes"

"Then this case goes deeper than I suspected. If the Ring-gang has access to these weapons then I fear for the safety of Magical Britian"

"And Muggles"

"And Muggles" Ron agreed "Now show me what our captives have to say"

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"I ain't telling you nothing" shouted out the leader of the ring gang from his cell. The cell in question was a single room with a single source of light focused on the criminal side of the table. From the other side Stan Frederick one of the senior Aurors was playing the questioner. He had been going through this for an hour now with little success. Just then he received a signal from the operator on the other side of the tinted windows. He sighed and went out. Ronald was there.

"Anything?" he asked

Stan just gave a frustrated sigh "No sir. He is completely mum. No word at all. The Veritaserum won't work. He's immune to it."

Harry Potter suddenly appeared behind Stan without a noise.

"Let me in. He'll be singing in a few moments."

Stan jumped up in surprise and quickly pointed his wand behind him, gasping until he realised it was Head Auror Potter.

Harry calmly tolerated the wand pointed at him "Nice reflexes" he commented drily.

Stan quickly put his hand down and signalled the operator to let Harry Potter inside. He was still a bit rattled. Harry entered the cell and looked at the convict. And then he slid the door close.

* * *

**In San Francisco**

Percee Riddle aka Wrent was waiting outside for the school bus which should be arriving soon. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a loose khaki jacket over it. He had baggy brown trousers and his red bag hoisted over his shoulders. He completed the look with white sneakers. Idly he noticed a girl also waiting for the bus no doubt close behind him. She had brown hair with small red streaks and was wearing an inner blouse shirt with a jacket and tight denims. She looked pretty overall and was holding a brown satchel bag. He hadn't noticed her before but he quickly took his mind off her and concentrated ahead. Just then the bus arrived and they both got in. The bus was almost full but they managed to find two empty seats at the back, which forced them to sit together. Percee immediately took out his small digi pad and plugged in with his head phones to listen to his favourite tunes. He figured since the bus was full there would be no more stops on the way. The girl seated next to him was checking her back pack for the usual last minute checklist- notebooks, pens, pads. That kind of thing. She soon closed her bag and turned to him.

"Hi. I'm Rachel. We got in together. Do you also stay in Trinidad avenue?"

Percee looked at her and removed his headphones. He heard her as he had been just changing his songs when she spoke. Odd coincidence.

"Hi. Percee Wrent. And yes to your second question." he replied disinterestedly and went back to listening to his songs, effectively ignoring her

However it seemed the girl was determined "Well tha's cool because that makes us neighbours. It is my first time at Jonas. I Guess it is yours too?"

Percee heard her again over the music.

"How did you figure that out" he asked suspiciously

"Well I've already checked our peer book and your name isn't in it. Plus you were holding your admit papers at the bus stop"

Percee's frown turned into surprise and he then gave a small smile.

"That's pretty observant of you."

"Oh…thanks" the girl smiled back.

Great Percee you haven't even begun school and you've already made a friend. Maybe this won't be too difficult he thought.

* * *

**Britian, Auror headquarters, Interrogation room.**

Are you ready to talk? Asked Harry calmly

The convict just looked at him and gave him an evil smile.

'You're Potter aren't you? The head auror. Quite a number you did on my boys. But believe me I'm a tough egg to crack.'

'Well its good then that I brought a toaster along' smiled Harry as his eyes turned red with fire.

He caught the convict by his neck and hoisted him up and looked straight into his eyes.

'Tell me your secrets' commanded Harry as he broke into his mind.

The convict didn't even struggle. 'Ha ha ha…you have no idea whom you're dealing with! Believe me he's your worst nightmare. He knows all about you. When he finds out we're here. He's gonna come for us.'

Harry ignored him and went deep into his thoughts ignoring all the false implanted surface decoys and tried to get the identity of the person who controlled these goons. Suddenly he entered a potential memory and faced a person. Beore he could fully foucus the image in the memory Harry was abruptly thrown back with a magical force and he jolted back into reality seeing the convict in front of him go into seizures. Medics rushed into the room and tried to stabilise him. Harry only gasped from his spot on the floor. That jolt of magic had thrown him across the room. He had only got a face and name- Darius, Darius Sprightwell.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**San Franscico**

"Welcome to Jonas's high School. Like every year, we have loads planned to enrich all of your fresh minds. To our new students I would like to state that we hold high regard both for academic and non- academic excellence. Please feel free to enlist help from any our staff or your fellow students. Or you could come to me your very own Principal Snyder" exclaimed Principal Snyder in the New Term initiation. There was some scattered clapping but most senior students were not too impressed having heard almost the same thing every year. Pricipal Snyder was a large stout man in his forties. He wore a dark complexion and was of a pleasing nature.

"We have 10 new student this year and I would request all of you to please make them feel welcome so that they become an asset to this institution like all of you have been through out the many years. And, no I won't mention their names because you'll find out soon enough!!. Now enough of my talk. I'm sure all of you are famished. So if all of you all please head for the banquet room you'll find that our chef Miss Hedway has a unique repast prepared."

The students hearing the obvious dismissal headed for the only thing they looked forward to every year. The new ter initiation Banquet in Jonas's high school had no comparison in the state and it was truly a luxurious affair and a great time to mingle with and make new friends. Jonas's high school had been established 30 years ago in 1977 by Sir Edmund Jonas and was regarded since as one of the best institutions in the country.

Of course Percee knew all of that. It was one of the reasons why he and his mother had chosen this place. Like all mothers his mother also wanted him to get a sound education. And so he had applied and succeeded in gaining a chance to study in a classy institution. HE would try his best at being a regular normal student but with his history, staying ordinary was a pretty difficult thing to do. When he was younger he had been so sure that he was cursed. The belief still hadn't left him. His father was one of the greatest sorcerors in the world and he wasn't too sure that a stray curse may not have hit him when he was a toddler. How else would he get into the situations that he did?

Lost in his thoughts, his feet carried him to the banquet hall for the great feast. As he entered the large room , Percee gasped at the sheer hugeness of the place. The entire place was clad in a golden ambienc and there were two huge chandeliers overhead. At the back there were two large spiral mahogany staircases. One led to a large cafeteria from where cateres were currently moving to and fro carrying tasty treats. The other staircase led to what appeared to be an equally large study hall in which Percee could make out shelves of books. He saw that a few students had already made their way over there and were picking out their favourite seats for the rest of the year. The boys and girls were separated into two long tables. There was a golden glow and the smell of good food lingered in the air. Percee found his mouth watering slightly which he asuured himself was a completely reasonable physiological response. Sound of idle chatter filled the room as people caught up with old friends and discussed the goings on during vacation. Perceee being new to this level of social gatheing found himself slightly lost and started watching the only person he recognised- Rachel, as she made her way over to the girls' table, all the while heavily engrossed in conversation with the girls around her. Percee himself looked attractive in his casual wear and 6 feet tall frame and made quite a few female heads turn. Some of the boys started looking at him calculatingly as if to see if he could be a threat to their stand or if he would be a viable player in their match against Central High. Now Football was the major play out in Jonas' , and Central High had been their biggest rivals since ancient history. Any guy who made it to the team was regarded as one of two things by the rest of the school- One is that you are the newest hero in the block and the school could look forward to creaming the competition this year. You would be Mr. Popular and would have a good entree when applying for the sports scholarship while applying for college later on. Option two …You would be Mr. Loser, but you got into the team anyway and everyone hates you for it. People would try to scare you into giving up your chance for a more…adequate player. One of these people caught Percee's eye and pulled him over to sit next to his chair. This guy was Wyatt Halliwell. He was tall, almost 7 feet and with messy blonde hair. He had a boyish look but what was most noticeable to Percee was a thin scar running down his right cheek. He seemed to be the centre of attention in his muscular frame around a small group of guys. As Percee came closer Wyatt got up and held out his hand and shook Percee's hand tightly. Percee, felt the light squeeze as Wyatt's muscular frame closed in on him in that small handshake and Percee instead of giving a grimace just shook back , making it look as casual as he could. Wyatt nodded impressively.

"Welcome to Jonas. I'm sure you are one of the new students Principal Snyder mentioned. Please take a sit. We are all friends here. My name is Wyatt Halliwell. You may call me Wyatt. All these are my pals. Except the last guy, he's my brother Alex, but you can call him Chris. Now let's enjoy the feast". Saying so he pulled a plate of sausages near him.

* * *

**Auror Hea****dquarters, London.**

Darius? Darius Sprightwell? Asked Ron to himself as if tasting the words in his mouth.

"Yes. I'm sure of it. He's the one who's been supplying them with weapons and finances." Replied Harry

"The name sounds too.. Ordinary" murmured Ron "Not that I doubt your skill in mind reading, but you must admit that it sounds very dismissive, and yet I feel I should know the name as if from a distant memory. Something about it makes my cogs spin. _Daa..r..i.u..es_.. Sounds good…but not darklordly enough. And _Sprightwell_.. Is that a muggle name? This is odd. No it's peculiar. Fascinating ".

Ron out of habit removed his spectacles and wiped them in his handkerchief. Harry recognised this particular trait. Ron was deep in thought.

"Ask Chief Morison to look into the database. The code is 'firerat' Access all files relating to the name- 'Darius Sprightwell and that's with a – 'ght'. Ask for our spies' everywhere if they know anything about it. Send teams alpha and beta to check out the undergrounds."

Immediately the people around Ronald got busy to carry out their tasks. Ron sat down in his chair and crossed his legs. He held out both his hands supporting their weight by holding onto his cane. After a moment of deep contemplation, Ron seemed to nod to himself and summoned his Pensieve from a secret drawer. Slowly he extracted an old memory moving very slowly as if it were a thousand year old parchment. He pulled his wand back and slowly dipped all of it into his head, giving a few moans as the memory wrought its way back into his mind. Suddenly Ron opened his eyes that he had closed during the transfer and they glowed slightly under the storm of Magic.

"After all these years it has come back"

* * *

San Fransisco:

Percee was checking out his locker and sought out his time table for the day.He had advanced Geometry as his first two classes. Not a problem. Then it was chemistry…lunch…and he found Rachel coming along his way. She opened the locker next to his.

"Hi how's first day?" he asked casually.

Oh its great. I've already spoken to a few people and they're really friendly replied Rachel who managed to recover her schedule. She drummed her fingers as she checked out her schedu Advanced Geometry it is. By Proff. Geofrrey. Sounds nice.

"We'd better get going" answered Percee

* * *

**Back At Auror head quarters**

"What has comeback Ron?" asked Harry seriously.

"Tell me Harry do you know of the **Portals of Secrecy**?"

"No..am I supposed to?" asked Harry wondering where Ron was going with this "What are the Portals of Secrecy?"

"Well...it's a secret"

Harry and Miss Lacy groaned at Ron's horrible tact.

"Well one of it's secrets anyway is about the **Nomen Magica**. Names of Power."

Harry just raised his eyebrows in a questioning gesture. Ron got up and walked to his desk and took out a marker. He pulled a white board in his office and wrote- 'DARIUS'.

"Darius." explained Ron "Son of Hystaspes, and king of Persia from 522 BC to 486 BC. _Darius_ was the Latin spelling used by ancient Roman historians. Question is why did our missing friend choose this name?"

"Ohh..I know this one" muttered Harry sarcastically "Perhaps...its beacause his Parents named him so...you know like I was name Harry and you were named Ron. Its not a big conspiracy Ronald. Its _just a name._ Like Tom, Dick...or even Harry."

"But..." continued Ron "Tom or Dick were not armament suppliers to a wicked old wizard gang. Heck I doubt if they were wizards. Even Tom Marvolo Riddle went for a name change. Seriously, how can anyone take someone seriously when they seriously have no seriousness to name themselves something seriously better than an old muggle name despite how serious it could possibly sound. Unless they wanted their enemies to fall and die laughing that is. Or maybe they should have tried Harry . Now that's a good name."exclaimed Ron.

" Now Mr. senior auror let me do my job. Believe me names are cruel things. Like Darius, king of Persia, had ascended to power admist great controversy and _bloodshed._ About 512 BC Darius undertook a war against the Scythians. A great army crossed the Bosporus, subjugated eastern Thrace, Macedonia submitted voluntarily, and crossed the Danube. The purpose of this war can only have been to attack the nomadic tribes in the rear and thus to secure peace on the northern frontier of the empire." Ron took a breath

"Great king. Pretty smart but flawed, just like a wizard. The name Darius is not just a name but it is the _name_. A _Nomen Crisp Magica._ Very Old but powerful magic. Quite effective."

Ron pulled out an old file in his handpad.

"In the old age of the 5th Magi, Dariouses was the name of the younger god who was made responsible for all descendants of the great Alchemist Heriouses. The eldest of this line took up the name Darius in his honour. The name was then imbibed into the rightful owners by any mage of supreme power which were common in those days. And the name gave its user the power to at will summon the might of Dariouses whch unsurprisingly manifested as magic. Almost all had become wizards of renown until the late century when the name died with Darius III of Persia. The last known existence of Nomen Magica. Until now"

Ron closed his handpad. "Our Darius is one of them. After this many years he has returned" finished Ron, just as he and Harry both simultaneously looked at the door.

Soon there were two firm Knocks.

"Come in" said Ron

Morison, the auror force chief reporting officer came in. He was a 4 year old man who had seen his share of fights. He had been one of the people who knew how bad Voldemort's reign had been. He nodded to both his superiors aand gave a small nod to Miss Lacy too. Then he begin his job of reporting. He looked at his file and calmly handed it over to Ron's secretary.

"Sorry sir, all our teams report a nil. There is absolutely no significant link to that name from any of our agents." Cried out miss Lacy, Ron's secretary. What she didn't expect was Ron to smile brightly as if it were Christmas.

"Well that's good isn't it?"

The reporting officer looked perplexed and even Harry sighed at his friend's eccentric behaviour.

"Seriously. What did you expect to find? Come on this is the ring gang we are talking about." Said Ron stressing the point "They are good at keeping secrets. Give them some credit you know!"

"Yes. I know. I was there" muttered Harry sardonically.

"Exactly" cried Ron as if that explained everything. "Ring gang. With over 20 members. One man turned a bunch of losers by providing them with advanced magical weaponry, without ministry authorisation. Those weapons could turn the tide of war itself. I've never seen anything like it before. A dozen of those guns if charged to full could kill a hundred aurors easily. _**They were toying with us. **_Until you came along. And I don't thing you would have survived either if it weren't for your _special _skills and the Potter Factor. What I'm stressing here is that this person – Darius is no ordinary wizard. He's no ordinary human . He is dangerous. The ring gang were bloodthirsty and unreasonable and Darius Sprightwell attracted them to the idea of powerful weapons and more than a hint of grandeur like a bear to Honey. But all of this…this hocus focus in the last two days were nothing more than a test!" Ron claimed as if he just realised what is two plus two.

As long as Harry had known him…since Hogwarts , one thing he had always known about Ron was that he rarely made claims unless he was absolutely sure of them. That being said Harry had every right to believe that If Ron said that Darius was a tough ass wizard then he very well should be. But Human nature likes to question deep claims and without wanting to that's what Harry did.

"Ron I need to ask if you are absolutely sure about this"

"No"

"No?"

"Obviously YES!! It's pretty obvious all those weapons needed a magical charge. Constructs like that need a good source of power!! Anyone with half a brain can construct a magic peashooter but to actually charge those with red hot piping magic requires a little more brain than that. And from the nature of magical residue which I picked up from you, yes you Harry. You didn't think you could hide the stench of newly regrown skin from me did you? Oh give me some credit. Where was I? Ah… yes the residue. What about it?? O.. Yes it had absolutely none of the flair of white beautiful, pink puffy, your sweet innocent kind of Magic. Which of course rules out Unicorn Horns…and tail feathers if anyone were wondering" quipped Ron

" Now people what are the other possible sources of raw magic power? No points for guessing." Asked Ron holding out his marker

"Well it could be Dragons?" started Harry

"Excellent Harry. The wizarding world has atleast a thousand species of Serpentia Draconis. Believe me, my brother Charlie can vouch for that. Among the thousands, wizards have identified atleast 100 different species to obtain heartstrings or claws for wand's core. But we can safely rule out Dragons here due the differing quality of magical residue harmonics. Clearly no Dragons here. The only type that can safely offer compatible magic is the Chinese white serpent and … well they have donor ship issues. Anything else?"

"Phoenixes" offered Miss lacy.

"Phoenixes? I'm sure I would know if a phoenix suddenly went naked after donating all its feathers to charge up a hundred and fifty illegal magic charged guns. Believe me their cry sends out a magical shockwave, which can be felt through out the planet if you are sensitive enough. I still remember the last one. I couldn't sleep for weeks. Others are even rarer possibilities, if they valued their life anyway, which I'm sure they did."

"What about a Nundu?" asked an eager officer

Ron thought about it. For about half a second. " Nah .Too powerful. Too uncontrolled. The weapons would have blown up in their faces. If they could harness it in the first place that is"

No one offered any more possibilities. Harry was beginning to have his suspicions about where Ron was going with this.

"So. It stands to reason that all their weapons including their BFG gun was charged by pure Wizard magic. Yes…I know wizards can't donate magic. But…if someone was way above normal wizarding levels…like say Darius. Well it's a pretty safe bet to know where the ring gang got their power source" answered Ron in a flourish

"So Darius charged their weapons? We already knew he supplied them with weapons! How did knowing that he charged them with his own magic help us any? Plus there is no known way to safely transfer magical energy from a wizard" exclaimed Harry at Ron's –oh I'm such a genius look.

"Well…" said Ron still wearing his smug look. "For one apparently **You** don't know of any safe way to transfer wizarding magic. Can't say the same for Darius. Believe me it has happened before. Secondly we now know that he's damn strong. Secondly it confirms my assessment. He's definitely a Nomen. Like I said before it has happened before. It is…was known in popular lore that one of the Nomen Magica's greatest tricks was to donate magical energy willingly. Among the pure mages of the time it was considered something…abnormal or rather a blasphemy. A heavily mistrusted art…but the result was simply terrific. Also was their ability to absorb other's magic." said Ron sitting down in his chair. His tone gradually became melancholy as if he was remembering a horrible event. "Once, Darius II had absorbed the magical strength of a thousand of his mages, unwillingly given. He became unstoppable and with great power he dove into madness and chaos. He was able to wipe out armies with a mere wave of his hands. Some people believed that he became Dariouses himself. However a king whom we came to know as Alexander the Great defeated him…" Ron stopped mid-speech and looked out through the magical window. It was currently late evening and the street lights were slowly lighting themselves.

Ron continued to stare outside the window.

"Harry the ministry has a third level magical shielding specially designed to repel wide remote attacks." said Ron suddenly. He slowly turned towards Harry. "In the past 5 hours I've sensed nearly one thousand magical discharges throughout London Now here is the thing about magical discharges. They are usually vague and annoying. But…" Ron suddenly brought his hands to his brows as if talking brought about a migraine " if the magic is a little bit more complex and specific, anyone experienced enough could actually guesstimate it's type. In this case we have an epidemic of multiple memory modifiers. Brilliant little buggers. And since I know I didn't sanction any Obliviators to do practice work. I'm assuming it is a _Oblivia statures multipa. _A specialty if you will…"

Harry quickly summoned the closest mike "Team gamma report to station at once. Head out to city zero and spread out. Suspect name Darius Sprightwell. We have multiple attacks of Oblivia Multi" he exclaimed.

"Oblivia Multi?" asked Ron's secretary

"Powerful memory modifiers. Can also be time placed. A dreadful but brilliant little spell. It was Voldemort's brain child. With it you could do unspeakable things. Wide memory wipe outs, false memories, mind commands..anything. Some people killed themselves over its effects in the last great war" answered Harry grimly, even as he ordered further commands through his command mike.

"its no use Harry. HE's gone. Only one bit of magic is still remaining and the person is putting up a pretty good fight"

"What??" cried Harry. "Tell me who remains. I will personally apparate and track the magic. This might be our only lead to Darius" Now that Harry thought about it,he realised why all the aurors Ron had sent aa few hours back came back emtyhanded. All the poeople they had questioned had beenobliviated!!. Oblivia Multi was a tricky spell and there was no way to detect it afterwards, unless you were specifically targeting it. But Ron was different. Even to Harry, Ron's skills seemed extraordinary. The fact that he could track small magical discharges of an obscure spell halfway across London spoke loads about his ability. He himself only just noticed it and that too after Ron, mentioned it.

Suddenly Harry's line of thought broke as Ron nearly bent over on his knees, his face was slowly turning green.

"Call the medics" shouted Harry as he quickly pulled Ron up and checked his pulse. It was steady.

"It's okay Harry" coughed Ron. "The magic…I've blocked it. It wouldn't have led you to Darius. The spell..it was targeted for me. You were the point of origin. I had noticed it the moment you entered the room after your interrogation. The spell…it was alive…slowly making its way out and across the prisoners. That's why it took me quite a sweat to finally remove it"

"So…you blocked a magic which originated faraway in London? and I'm guessing the prisoners are intact too?"

"Yep, in a odd sort of way. Though I'll need a long nap to replenish my magic. Damn Darius can pack a nice punch. I need a drink"

Ron nodded to himself approvingly and took a swig of some red gold potion from under his desk. He gave it one sniff and drank it quickly, his other arm grasping the table as the vile concotion burnt through his stomach. Ron squeezed his eyes and opened them his face settling into a peaceful smile.

"Ahhh…it burns through me so beautifully…"

"Why do you drink it if every time you do your face grimaces as if someone shoved a blast ended skrewt up your rear?" asked Harry questioningly.

Ron still held his desk tightly while his face slowly regained its colour.

"It helps me think clearly. You know gets rid off the cobwebs settling around the brain. You should try it. Rich Source of Iodine. It is good for the brain. Good to solve riddles. Like the fact that your last jaunt into the interrogation room nearly compromised us all. Can't blame you really. That's powerful magic"

Harry bowed his head slightly chastised. He had to be more careful next time.

"Maybe you should try my drink too"

Harry just rolled his eyes exasperatedly. Soon the medics entered the room only to find three apparently healthy people- Head Auror Harry, Senior Unspeakable Ronald Weasley and his assistant, Miss Lacy.

Ron waved them away cheerfully but not before the head medic looed at them and at Ron's drink suspiciously. But he finally left. That's when Harry continued.

"But now we don't have any leads to follow up . I'm notifying everyone about it. I'm assuming he's an A class…"

Ron took this news calmly "He's an X level Harry. And I do know a lead"

The room became so silent one could have heard a pin drop.

"That" breathed Harry "Is impossible. HE.._He _was the last one. I killed him"

"And…yet you are here. You too are one of them.Or Don't you remember? I assume you do. Its been branded to your brain so you never forget" Of course Harry knew.

"How did he escape our sensors? Another X level?" Harry shuddered.

"Come on Harry. You are the head auror. You have to bring him in. You know only you can. He may be strong. But you have yet to lose a fight."

"Yes. I do indeed have to yet to lose a fight, don't I?"

"You are the master of the Hallows" stated Ron.

"Yes I am. Now about that lead"

"Let's visit Kinestone shall we? St.Mungo's after that" answered Ron.

Both gave a nod. "Well I'm ready" said harry. He was best on the field.

Ron just collected his hat and without Harry noticing snuck in a bit more of his red potion.

"I'm ready too" said Ron.

Before Miss Lacy could respond, they both apparated right through the ministry wards.

All Miss Lacy could think of was -"I hate it when they do that"

**Kinestone, Riveris, Orchard**

Ron was examining the place where just the day before Harry had rounded up the ring gang.

"Hmmm..cheerful place. Muggle indeed. This place is laced with magic strong enough to rival Hogwarts. Ah…good it is stronger here..The scent…yes.." whispered Ron to himself while Harry was searching around the place and wishing he knew what it was that he was searching for.

"Okay I've got the scent!!" announced Ron as if to an audience of throbbing fans.

"What?" shouted Harry from the distance only to find himself suddenly appear next to Ron. The sudden shift of scenery startled Harry enough to aim his magically charged finger at the enemy…which was a sheepish Ron

"Well..you were a little far away and I was too tired to shout So I pulled you here"

answered Ron sheepishly and a tad defensively.

"One day Ron when my magic reacts a bit violently to that little pull-apparition trick of yours, it will follow the source magic like a hellhound and when it finds the owner of said magic…believe me I wish dearly that it wouldn't hurt" promised Harry ominously and Ron shivered

"Well now that we are all cleared of our airs and all." Stammered Ron.

He wanted to say something further probably about that brilliant scent he had a few minutes ago but the effect was ruined and he just pulled a ball of light literally into his hands. Harry shut his eyes from the intense white light, which looked like a fist-sized version of the sun. He recognised the magic instantly. A powerful tracker charm. The strength of the charm was directly proportionate to its brightness. Most aurors could not even perform the magic and those who could, only managed some small wispy lights. One day Harry would definitely check out Ron's file. Something tells him that he and Darius were not the only X level wizards in town.

Ron released the ball into the air and it just vanished like a phoenix apparating.

"Are you tracking him?" asked Harry

"The scent" answered Ron his face in full concentration.

"What scent" asked Harry stupidly

"Darius' magic. This place is full of it"

Harry never felt stupider in his life. Of course. Darius' magic had charged the weapons lying here in this place. Ron had got its scent and is now tracking it. Like a magical sniffer dog.

After 5 minutes Ron sighed. Harry just groaned. He knew what that sigh meant. Ron's tracker failed.

"Come on Harry. There is one other place where I can check. And I doubt Darius can give me the slip there"

"Where's that?" asked Harry

"St. Mungo's" answered Ron and then apparated.

In **St. Mungo's**

"Where is our detainee being held" asked Ron walking through the hospital hallway with Harry at his side.

"Room 51 special detainees sir" replied one of the aurors- James Patrick.

Well lets pay our guest a visit. What is his current status?

Still in a coma sir.

"Wrong, Mr Edwards, but nice try. Do read up on the differences between _Coma _and _Cursed Sleep__**. **_I believe there is an excellent anecdote to illustrate this in Wilkins's and Wilkins's.

Mr. Edward nodded, his other hand furiously noting the suggestions down in his secret notepad. He wasn't one of the senior aurors for nothing. The fact that he was a Ravenclaw may also have had something to do with his eagerness.

On reaching the Special Detainees section, the said room, Ron opened the door and peeped inside. There lying on a bed was the leader of the ring gang with drips on both his arms. His face was pale almost blue, his skin was sagging and his eyes were looking straight ahead as if watching something mesmerising. Ron without waiting for the doctor's approval went and looked into the patient's eyes. His pupils were dilated and the retina looked hollow at the sides as if a small insect chewed them off. Ron activated his inner sight and looked more closely. No evidence of any residual charm. Expert work. Ron felt his pulse. It was slow.

"He's ready" was the only warning Harry got before Ron suddenly grasped the patient's temples with both his hands and engulfed it with powerful mind magic. Harry could sense the force of Ron's magic even from such a distance and his skin tingled from it. The other two aurors in the room never sensed a thing. Harry himself couldn't recreate it with such finery.

Ron was soaring through thousands of images, each revolving around him like electrons around the atomic nuclei. His hand moved like the conductor of an orchestra, all his integrity and thoughts held together by sheer will power.If his concentration went astray for even a second, his being would be overrun by the malestorm of memories and he may end up in an actual coma.The body can't live without the mind.But Ron was in his element. In a moment Ron had pinpointed the epicentre of the foreign residual curse within the mind of the patient and shot to it like the snap of a rubber band. Almost at once Ron found himself in a well-concealed memory, his own magic casually squashing all defences. He looked for what he wanted to see. In a moment he felt the build up of energy as his suspicions materialised in the form of a figure in front of him. He was well built, atleast 6 feet tall with wavy black hair and a handsome visage which held a calculating look. Ron ignored his passive threat and looked down upon the figure in this mind field.

"Hello Darius"


End file.
